Dispatches from Paris

25.03.2019

Louis from the Manchester shop recently told us about some photos he’d taken whilst in Paris. “When did you go there?” we asked — turns out he’d lived there for years.

Here’s some of his thoughts and photos about Paris…

My parents moved back to Paris when I was 19 from Italy in 2014, so during the summer when I was back from university I’d spend most of my time skating around Republique and various spots scattered across the city.

Paris is incredibly photogenic as a city and I really enjoy capturing the romantic side of the city whilst mixing the gritty skateboarding scene into it. I'd spend my time finding quirky angles of monuments like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the Moulin Rouge using google map's street view to plan what I was going to shoot.

Being shot on film intrigued my subjects as they couldn't quite believe young people were still chucking Portra into a Leica. Showing subjects how to load, unload and compose a photo really fascinated them. Five years on and we all skate and shoot together when I'm back home.

I go back every year for a week to shoot as much as I can. It usually involves having to be careful with a humongous bag of 120 and 35mm film at the airport to avoid scanners causing a dog's dinner to the results of the film.

Two skateboarders on a sloping riverside ledge, one in navy riding it and one in pink in front, with Notre-Dame behind

A skateboarder in navy and jeans mid-trick on a crossing in front of Notre-Dame, with a second skater in pink behind

People on a wooden bench in Paris, one in a black cap and grey tee licking a rolling paper, another in a red beanie

A skateboarder in a pale shirt and jeans kicking one leg high on a cobbled street below the white domes of Sacré-Cœur

A skateboarder in a black cap and white football shirt riding a Paris pavement, the Eiffel Tower at the end of the street

Skaters on a cobbled corner in Paris, one in a red Sharp football shirt and jeans, three more by the railings behind

A skateboarder in a pale pink top and brown trousers carving across a road in front of the Arc de Triomphe on a sunny day

Two skateboarders pushing past the Arc de Triomphe, one in a white tee and teal trousers, the other in pink and brown

A skateboarder in a white tee skating the stone lip of a fountain beside gilded statues, the Eiffel Tower behind

A skateboarder in a black cap and white tee mid-air at the top of stone steps among tourists, the Eiffel Tower behind

A skateboarder in a tan cap and denim jacket mid-trick on a crossing outside the Moulin Rouge and its red windmill

Three skaters on a cobbled street below Sacré-Cœur, two stood reaching to shake hands and one crouched between them

See more of Louis' Paris snaps in his new zine, Le Rue et L'amour - available here.

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